Summary:
Zip code 27052 is home to two public high schools serving grades 9–12, both part of Stokes County Schools in North Carolina. The two schools are academic opposites: South Stokes High School is a traditional comprehensive high school with 538 students, while Stokes Early College High School serves just 159 students in a smaller early college model.
Stokes Early College is the clear standout. It earned a 4-star rating and ranks 111th out of 662 high schools statewide, placing it in the 83rd percentile, and it has stayed in the top 20% for three consecutive years. Its 2025–26 EOC proficiency rates are exceptional: 96.0% in Math I, 91.3% in English II, 88.9% in Math III, and 75.6% in Biology — all well above state averages. South Stokes, in contrast, earned only 1 star and ranks 502nd (24th percentile). It falls below district and state averages in every subject, including a 27.9% Math I proficiency rate, creating a 68-point gap between the two schools. South Stokes' graduation rate is 87.4%, near the state average of 88.8%.
South Stokes is also trending downward, dropping from the 52nd percentile in 2023–24 to the 41st in 2024–25, and now to the 24th. Stokes Early College, meanwhile, improved its Math I proficiency by nearly 38 points in a single year. Notably, South Stokes spends more per student ($11,490 vs. $7,304) and has a more favorable student-teacher ratio, yet produces far weaker outcomes. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 13.6% is well below the state rate of 24.2%, suggesting the issue lies in academics rather than attendance. One important caveat: Stokes Early College does not report a graduation rate, so its record is incomplete. Still, based on test performance, it is clearly one of the stronger high schools in the region, while South Stokes appears to need serious attention.
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